Following Nintendo's presentation at the E3 computer and video game exposition, select Best Buy electronic stores hosted Smashfest where fans had the chance to try out Super Smash Bros 4.
Super Smash Bros is a party fighting game that brings together characters from several Nintendo franchises. that debuted in 1999 on the Nintendo. Since then its sequels Super Smash Bros Melee and Super Smash Bros Brawl have garnered skilled and passionate followings on the GameCube & Wii respectively. I originally got into the franchise after seeing a commercial for the N64 which my ten year old self thought was out of this world.
Super Smash Bros 4 is being released this year for both the 3DS and the Wii U making it both the first portable Smash Bros. game and the first HD version of the game. I went to my local Best Buy an hour early expecting a minimal line however what I was met with was the oddest mix of bros high-schoolers, and parents with a few children mixed in that I have ever seen. I talked to people in line and heard a few have driven nearly two hours to get a chance the play the Wii U version of Smash 4. Unfortunately since Best Buy only had one Wii U set up, only four people could play the game at once and the line progressed at a snails. While in line, a Best Buy representative was walking around and giving people the chance to try out the 3DS version. I initial had little interest in the portable version as I thought it would just be a watered down version of the full console experience. However after playing through 5 minutes of the side scrolling Smash Run mode, the game definitely rose to the top of the pile for when I eventually upgrade my DS. Smash Run is similar to the Melee's Adventure mode however in this mode, characters collect items and power ups from defeating enemies that can be used to upgrade character stats for use in battles and challenge level. I played this mode as Luigi who plays similar to his Brawl counterpart. The transition from playing Smash Bros with a Gamecube controller to 3DS controls was rather jarring.
After a rather embarrassingly long wait in line I played Smash Bros 4 and while I was impressed by the game, it felt very similar to Brawl. In retrospect, perhaps a bit too similar for my tastes. I chose Little Mac from Punch-Out, one of the new characters introduced in this game after some debate from other players in line. I struggled with the game initially due to being inexperienced with the Wii U Pro controller. After playing Super Smash Bros with a Gamecube controller for over a decade this control change could not be overcome. Nintendo will be addressing this issue by re-releasing the GC controller along with a GC controller adapter that can plug directly into the Wii U console. I did rather poorly in the timed match, far from my days of ruling the game room at college. The novelty of playing Little Mac wore off as he was too fast for his own good and I had to learn his moveset on the fly. Perhaps I would of had better luck sticking to my Brawl favorite Luigi. Nevertheless, I did enjoy my time with the game and toward the end of my play time, I noticed that the game did play slightly faster than Brawl . Following the match, I received a commemorative pin and some stickers for good measure. Smashfest provided me taste of the game and by the time the Christmas release date rolls around, I will be more than ready for the main course.
Nintendo owns Super Smash Bros. & all the characters therein (except Sonic, Mega Man & Pacman). Pictures taken from the official Smash Bros website http://www.smashbros.com/
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